World War II veteran Carroll Dick, center, with his granddaughter, Kindra Rakes, right, and her husband, Mike Rakes, left. Photo by KATELYN LARESE

Friends and family gathered in Chesterfield Township on Sunday to celebrate the 105th birthday of Carroll Dick, a World War II veteran who not only had tea with Albert Einstein, but also spent time working on the atomic bomb.

A Chesterfield Township resident for the past three years, Dick celebrated a milestone birthday Aug. 10 surrounded by friends, family and neighbors at his Lakewood Drive home, which he shares with his granddaughter, Kindra Rakes, and her husband, Mike Rakes. With mini-American flags strewn across the front lawn, friends and family shared memories, laughs, food and drinks with the beloved patriarch.

“What the dear lord has done for me and my family is just incredible,” Dick said. “The things I have had happen to me – it’s incredible – and I’ve got the greatest family in the world.”

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Members of Operation: STAT, a group of volunteers based in Chardon, Ohio, that recognizes veterans across the country, rolled up on motorcycles Sunday afternoon to surprise Dick during the birthday celebration.

“I can’t believe it,” he said as about a dozen motorcycles rolled into the driveway.

Dick grew up on a small farm in South Boardman, which is located south of Kalkaska. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II, said his son, Jim Dick.

“It’s been an amazing life,” Jim Dick said of his father. “He went to Princeton, where he had tea with Einstein. Then, he was called to Los Alamos, New Mexico, to work on the proximity fuse for the A-bomb and he had lunch with (J. Robert) Oppenheimer. From there, he came back to Ann Arbor, started a TV/radio/record business in Ann Arbor called The Music Center.”

Carroll Dick was married to his wife, Lois, for 67 years. He has two sons, Jim Dick, 66, and Roger, 69. He resided in South Boardman until he was 102, when he moved to Chesterfield Township.

“It’s just awesome,” Jim Dick said of the birthday celebration on Sunday. “He’s really blown away. He’s totally in awe.”

Kindra and Mike Rakes described their grandfather as a happy, appreciative man. The couple proudly displays memorabilia from throughout their grandfather’s life, such as a Western Union telegram containing details of his assignment to the Manhattan Project and a framed letter from Barack Obama that reads, “I send my best wishes for a happy 105th birthday.”

“He’s always that happy,” Kendra Rakes said as her grandfather laughed in the background.

“And he’s always very appreciative,” Mike Rakes noted.

Contact Katelyn Larese at (586) 273-6196 or katelyn.larese@voicenews.com. She can be followed on Twitter @katelynlarese.